Learnings from a veteran oncologist's long-standing efforts in integrative oncology.

Kerala's first medical oncologist, the erstwhile Dr. CP Mathew, has left a rich legacy in cancer patients' case diaries and medical records. These documents contain valuable information about his attempts to integrate Siddha and Ayurveda treatments to manage cancer. A preliminary examination of these documents compiled over more than four decades gives us a glimpse of his contributions relevant to the development of Integrative Oncology in India. Patients who received treatment from Dr. CP Mathew presented with different types of cancer in varying stages of progression. In his clinical practice, he developed treatment approaches that integrated Ayurveda and Siddha with the standard of care for specific types and presentations of cancer. At Cherian Ashram in Kottayam, where he treated cancer patients, a team of medical doctors, including a senior Ayurveda physician and a Naturopathy and Yoga expert, worked together to offer integrative care. Based on his experience, he emphasized that the public should be made aware of the available options for alternative treatments even in advanced stages of cancer. While Ayurveda and Siddha could bolster the patient's immunity and improve clinical outcomes, he pointed out that such interventions could also improve tolerance to chemotherapy and radiation. In the wake of the growing global interest in Integrative Oncology, the work of Dr. CP Mathew preserved in the medical records of his cancer patients deserves to be studied with an open mind.

Ayurvedic management of persistent hypoxia in a diabetic and hypertensive COVID-19 patient in the post-hospitalization period-A case report.

COVID-19 patients may require supplemental oxygen therapy at home after recovery from COVID-19. We report benefits of add on Ayurvedic intervention in a 75-year-old gentleman who was oxygen dependent post hospitalisation. He was earlier treated for COVID-19 related bilateral pneumonitis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Acute Renal Failure. Patient reported breathing difficulty, generalized weakness, reduced appetite and severe constipation. The Pulse Oximetry readings with oxygen support fluctuated between 80 and 85 %, Blood Pressure was 150/100 mm Hg, LDH raised at 463 IU/L and HbA1c at 8.7%. The patient was administered micro-doses of Rasasindura sublingually every 10 min for one day followed by administration of Indukanta Ghrita and Suvarnamalinivasanta Rasa. The oxygen saturation improved to 95 % in 12 hrs of initiating treatment, oxygen support was weaned off on the third day of starting the Ayurvedic treatment, three weeks earlier than prescribed at the time of discharge. The patient is ambulant and maintaining oxygen saturation between 95 and 98 %. This case report highlights the potential of Ayurvedic intervention to manage patients with persistent hypoxia in post hospitalization phase. Well-designed studies are warranted to confirm the benefits of integrating such interventions with standard of care in COVID-19.